This week brought big shifts in streaming, fresh AI experiments in commerce, major agency consolidation, and regulators keeping a close eye on ad tech. In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Meta planning to use conversations people have with its chatbots to personalise ads on its platforms, OpenAI preparing a social app for AI video, and the UK ordering new data demands for Apple users.

Spotify is preparing for a major leadership transition as co-founder Daniel Ek steps down as CEO in January 2026, moving into the role of executive chairman. The company will adopt a dual-CEO structure, elevating Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, currently co-presidents, to jointly lead operations.

While Spotify experiments with governance, OpenAI is experimenting with commerce. OpenAI has rolled out Instant Checkout, enabling users to purchase products directly within ChatGPT. The feature launches with Etsy sellers in the US and will soon include Shopify merchants such as Glossier and SKIMS. 

The company is also hiring for its new ChatGPT Growth team, with a role dedicated to building paid marketing infrastructure, campaign management, and real-time attribution systems pointing to a future where ChatGPT doubles as both platform and marketplace.

Consolidation is also reshaping the media landscape. Havas and Horizon Media have unveiled Horizon Global, a USD$20bn (£14.8bn) media network headquartered in New York. The joint venture will serve US clients with global ambitions, combining Horizon’s domestic scale with Havas’s international footprint.

Regulators tighten the screws as the US Federal Trade Commission has approved a revised consent order tied to Omnicom’s USD$13.5bn (£10.12bn) acquisition of Interpublic Group, cementing restrictions on how the merged company manages publisher relationships.